(Photo via Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim)

NEW DELHI (Aug 20): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for the review of the free trade pact for goods between Asean and India to be completed in a time-bound manner.

India and Asean have held several rounds of talks to make changes to the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (Aitiga) to make the free trade agreement (FTA) more trade-facilitative and beneficial for businesses across the region. These talks started in May 2023.

"We agree that the review of the FTA between Asean and India should be completed in a time-bound manner," the Indian prime minister said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Hyderabad House here, Modi highlighted Malaysia's significant role in Asean and the Indo-Pacific regions.

He said India strongly supports Asean centrality in the region.

Modi also affirmed India's full support for Malaysia's upcoming chairmanship of Asean in 2025.

India sees Malaysia as a key partner for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and Modi indirectly references the region's geopolitics.

"In line with international law, we are committed to the freedom of navigation and overflights and are in favour of peaceful resolutions of all disputes," he said.

Modi expressed gratitude to Anwar for his friendship and committed to strengthening bilateral ties, noting that Anwar's visit has set a new direction for India-Malaysia relations in the coming decade.

Modi announced the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar study chair at the University of Malaya in honour of the revered Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar.

He also mentioned that both leaders had discussed new opportunities for defence cooperation.

Modi underscored the importance of the three-million-strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia, describing it as a "living bridge" between the two nations.

He announced that India will allocate 100 seats under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarships to Malaysian candidates in Indian educational institutions for studying advanced subjects such as cyber security and artificial intelligence.